Close-up of blooming Streptanthus breweri wildflowers in a natural field setting, with pale yellow and white bell-shaped flowers hanging along arched stems, interspersed with rich maroon-purple blossoms. The background is softly blurred with green grasses and hints of orange wildflowers.
Species of jewelflowers are found in areas of California that are generally cooler and wetter than the southwest deserts where the group originated. But a new study based on herbarium collections shows that jewelflowers select specific areas and flowering times that allow them to live in a warmer, drier climate than their overall surroundings. Photo of California jewelflower (Caulanthus californicus) by Amelia Ryan, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 (CC BY-NC 3.0) license.

Plants Seek Friendly Environments Rather Than Adapt

  • by Andy Fell

As jewelflowers spread into California from the desert Southwest over the past couple of million years, they settled in places that felt like home, according to a new study from the University of California, Davis. The work, published July 1 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that the ability of plants and animals to adapt to changing climates might be more limited than it appears.

“I was honestly surprised,” said Sharon Strauss, Distinguished Professor emeritus in the Department of Evolution and Ecology and corresponding author on the paper. “They haven’t evolved as much as you would think.”

The study also shows the important role that herbaria — collections of pressed and dried plants — can play in ecological research.

Read the full article